Incinerator

ABSTRACT

An incinerator for burning waste material includes a horizontally extending combustion chamber having spaced end walls and a side wall through which a mixture of waste material and air is introduced under pressure tangentially for establishing a vortical movement of the waste material toward one of the end walls. The waste material is ignited during its vortical movement and the chamber includes a discharge flue port near the one end wall which is concentric with the longitudinal axis of the chamber and which has an open end in the chamber spaced axially of the one end wall. A second discharge port extends tangentially through the chamber side wall adjacent the bottom of the chamber at one side thereof for discharging from the chamber noncombustible material entrained in the outer region of the vortex. The discharged material is conveyed through a conduit to a separator which separates the discharged gases and solid material. A baffle is mounted on the flue adjacent its open end for deflecting outwardly toward the side wall solid material which moves from adjacent the one end wall toward the open end of the flue. Means are provided for introducing secondary air into the chamber tangentially to the chamber side wall at a plurality of spaced regions which are aligned horizontally and which are located adjacent the bottom of the chamber at the other side thereof such that one of said regions is substantially opposite the second discharge port. Control means including dampers are provided for independently adjustably controlling the amount of secondary air flowing into the chamber at each spaced region. Also, automatic control means are provided for controlling generally the secondary air in accordance with variations of temperature within the chamber.

United States Patent [191 Hasselbring et al.

[ INCINERATOR [75] Inventors: Robert Joel Hasselbring, Shelbyville;Robert L. Shields, Rushville, both of Ind.

[73] Assignee: General Electric Company, New

York, NY.

[22] Filed: July 2, 1971 [21] Appl.No.: 159,251

Primary Examiner-Kenneth W. Sprague Att0rney-Philip L. Schlamp et a].

[5 7 ABSTRACT An incinerator for burning waste material includes ahorizontally extending combustion chamber having spaced end walls and aside wall through which a mix- 1111 3,727,563 [451 Apr. 17, 1973 ture ofwaste material and air is introduced under pressure tangentially forestablishing a vortical movement of the waste material toward one of theend walls. The waste material is ignited during its vortical movementand the chamber includes a discharge flue port near the one end wallwhich is concentric with the longitudinal axis of the chamber and whichhas an open end in the chamber spaced axially of the one end wall. Asecond discharge port extends tangentially through the chamber side walladjacent the bottom of the chamber at one side thereof for dischargingfrom the chamber non-combustible material entrained in the outer regionof the vortex. The discharged materigions which are aligned horizontallyand which are located adjacent the bottom of the chamber at the otherside thereof such that one of said regions is substantially opposite thesecond discharge port. Control means including dampers are provided forindepen dently'adjustably controlling the amount of secondary airflowing into the chamber at each spaced region. Also, automatic controlmeans are provided for controlling generally the secondary air inaccordance with variations of temperature within the chamber.

28 Claims, 8 Drawing, Figures PATENTEI] APR 1 7 I973 SHEET 1 BF 4INVENTO RS ROBERT J. HASSELBRING ROBERT L. SHIELDS AT ORNEY PATENTEDAPR1 71975 SHEET 2 BF 4 CONTROL OT INVENTORS ROBERT J, HASSELBRING ROBERTL, SHIELDS FIG 4 PATENTED 1 3,727. 563

SHEET 3 BF 4 FIG 61 \NVENTORS ROBERT J. HASSELBRMG ROBERT L. SHIELDSATTORNEY PATENTED 3.727. 563

SHEET u or 4 I Mimi *4? I Q 9 A K I 2 Bf 5 00 FIG 7 FIG 8 \NVENTORSROBERT J. HASSELBRlNG ROBRRT L. smELDs ATTORNEY INCINERATORCROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS Zabriskie, now US. Pat. No.3,568,017, issued Apr. 25, I0

1972, said patents both being assigned to the assignee of thisapplication.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention This inventionrelates to incinerators and has particular relation to industrial andmunicipal type incinerators for burning waste material.

2. Description of the Prior Art Conventional industrial and municipaltype incinerators ordinarily include one or more combustion cham bershaving drying grates with a flue for discharging to atmosphere thegaseous products of combustion of waste material in the chambers.Depending upon the efficiency of a particular incinerator design varyingamounts of noxious gases and ash are discharged through the flue toatmosphere. Prior incinerator designs in general have been incapable ofeffecting good combustion of waste material such that the products ofthe resulting incomplete combustion consist of a large quantity ofnoxious gases and ash which are discharged to the surrounding atmospherein the form of dense acrid smoke.

In an effort to comply with regulatory air pollution codes, more recentincinerator designs have provided for cleaning the gaseous products ofcombustion prior to their discharge to'atmosphere. Such flue gascleaning apparatus is usually of costly and bulky construction and insome cases has not operated to clean the flue gases sufficiently tocomply with the regulatory codes. One known flue gas cleaning apparatusincludes means for conducting the gaseous products of combustion throughwater sprays so that the suspended ashes and other particulate matterare entrained in the water which is then collected and conveyed to asuitable clarification system. This type of flue gas cleaning apparatusis expensive and complex and contributes not only to the high cost andmassive structure of prior art incinerators but also to water pollution.Further, the very high temperatures within the chambers necessary toeffect good combustion result in very hot flue gases which may result ininefficient operation of the flue gas cleaning apparatus and resultingundesirable pollution of the surrounding atmosphere. The provision offlue gas cleaning apparatus thus imposes a limitation upon thetemperature within the combustion chambers which contributes to the poorcombustion realized by certain prior art designs.

It is necessary of course that provision be made for collecting anddisposing of non-combustible material. One known apparatus foraccomplishing this function comprises a conveyor disposed beneath thecombustion chambers for receiving such material and for conveying thesame from the combustion chambers to a suitable disposition area. Suchconveying apparatus is also very costly and in addition occupiesconsiderable space which further contributes to the high cost andmassive structure of prior art incinerators.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION It is therefore a primary object of theinvention to provide a novel and improved incinerator capable ofeffecting substantially complete combustion of waste material andwherein essentially solid-free flue gases are discharged to theatmosphere to minimize air and water pollution.

It is another object of the invention to provide a novel and improvedincinerator of such character which avoids the use of costly and complexflue gas cleaning apparatus.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a novel and improvedvortex incinerator of the foregoing character wherein non-combustiblematerial is discharged from the combustion chamber during the burningprocess by action of the vortex without the use of costly and bulkymaterial handling and conveying apparatus.

It is a still further object of the invention to provide a novel andimproved vortex incinerator of the foregoing character wherein theburning process is more efficiently carried on and the removal of flyash as well as the discharge of non-combustible material arefacilitated.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In carrying out the invention in one preferredform, an incinerator is provided which includes a combustion chamberhaving spaced end walls and a side wall with its central longitudinalaxis extending between the end walls. The chamber is preferably disposedin operative position with its central longitudinal axis extendinghorizontally or substantially horizontally. Means are provided forintroducing waste material and primary air into the chamber forestablishing a vortical move ment of the waste material toward one ofthe end walls and provision is made for igniting the waste materialduring its vortical movement. Secondary air is introduced into thechamber substantially tangentially to the side wall at a plurality ofregions which are spaced substantially throughout the entire length ofthe chamber and which are aligned along a horizontal axis. These regionsare located adjacent the bottom of the chamber at one side thereof suchthat secondary air is introduced in directions to maintain the vorticalmovement of waste material. The secondary air entering the chamber ateach of the mentioned spaced regions is controlled by an independentlycontrollable damper which can be adjusted manually to control the amountof air entering the chamber and contributing to the vortex energy ateach region. The secondary air is supplied through a blower-feedmanifold and an automatically controllable damper controls generally thesecondary air distributed through the manifold. The automatic damper iscontrolled adjustably and operates automatically in response totemperature variations in the chamber.

A discharge flue port has an open end opening in the of the side wallfor discharging from the chamber during the burning processnon-combustible material entrained in the outer region of the vortex.The open end of the second discharge port is located adjacent the bottomof the chamber at the side thereof substantially opposite one of theregions of introduction of the secondary air.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of anincinerator embodying the invention showing in particular the path ofvertical movement of the waste material within the combustion chamberand the distribution paths of secondary air;

FIG. 2 is a view in end elevation of the combustion chamber and thesecondary air manifold associated therewith;

FIG. 3 is a view in section taken along the line 33 of FIG. 2 andincluding a schematic illustration of the automatic secondary aircontrol means;

FIG. 4 is a view in side elevation of the combustion chamber and thesecondary air manifold associated therewith;

FIG. 5 is a view in section taken along the line 5-5 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a view in side elevation of a damper mechanism associated withthe manifold;

FIG. 7 is a view in section taken along the line 7-7 of FIG. 6; and

FIG. 8 is a view in top plan of the mechanism of FIG. 6.

DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now to the drawing thereis illustrated in FIGS. 1-4 an incinerator embodying the invention andcomprising in general a size reduction unit for chopping up the wastematerial, means for introducing the waste material and primary air intoa combustion chamber for establishing a vortical movement of the wastematerial, means for igniting the waste material during its vorticalmovement, means for introducing secondary air into the chamber,discharge means for discharging gaseous products of combustion, andnoncombustible material from the combustion chamber, and a separator forseparating the gaseous and solid material discharged by the dischargemeans. The incinerator of the present invention is particularly suitedfor disposing of solid industrial and municipal waste material such asfor example, paper, peanut hulls, cardboard cartons, wood scrap,garbage, foliage, bottles, cans and combustible floor sweepings.However, the incinerator is also capable of disposing of liquid wastematerial such as oils, paint sludges and plating tank residue.

More specifically, the incinerator as schematically shown in FIG. 1includes a size reduction unit 10 designed to shred and chop the wastematerial into pieces small enough to be efficiently conveyed to andburned in the combustion chamber. If the waste material to be disposedof is already of an acceptable size, such as sawdust, then the sizereduction unit 10 is not required. The size reduction unit 10 may be ofany suitable construction and includes a hopper 12 having an open end 14into which the waste material is fed for size reduction by a shreddingand chopping mechanism (not shown) operated by a motor (not shown).After being reduced in size the waste material is drawn into a pneumaticconveying system including a blower l6 operated by a motor (not shown)which entrains the size reduced material in a primary air stream andtransports it through a pipe 20 which opens into a combustion chamber22.

The combustion chamber 22 may be of any suitable configuration and ispreferably cylindrical including a pair of spaced end walls 24 and 26connected by an annular side wall 28. The chamber 22 is preferablydisposed when in operative position so that its central longitudinalaxis which extends between the end walls 24 and 26 is horizontal orsubstantially horizontal as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. If desired, the endwall 26 of the chamber 22 may include an access door 30 to permit accessto the interior of the chamber 22. In the specific embodiment of theinvention illustrated, the side wall 28 of the chamber 22 comprises anouter casing 32 (FIG. 3) formed of suitable material such as a lowcarbon steel and the casing 32 is lined with one or more inner layers 34and 36 of suitable material such as fire brick. The innermost layer 34is designed to exhibit good resistance toabrasion whereas the layer 36may be designed to have good heat insulating qualities or to transferthe heat to a remote location. The end walls 24 and 26 of the chamber 22may be similarly formed of an outer layer of low carbon steel with innerlayers of tire brick. In the embodiment illustrated, the pipe 20 entersthe chamber 22 tangentially of the side wall 28 near the top of thechamber 22 adjacent the end wall 26 and at the left side of the chamberas viewed in FIG. 2. In certain installations it may be desirable tohave the pipe 20 enter the chamber 22 at a region which is substantiallymidway between the end walls 24 and 26.

Continuous injection of a mixture of waste material and air into thechamber 22 from the pipe 20 tangentially to the side wall 28 establishesa vortical flow of the waste material which travels from adjacent theend wall 26 toward the end wall 24 in a clockwise direction as viewedfrom the end wall 26 in FIG. 1 or in the direction of the arrow 37 inFIG. 5. It is understood of course that the pipe 20 may be disposed toenter the chamber 22 at the upper right hand side thereofinstead of atthe upper left hand side in which event the direction of the vortexwould be reversed from the clockwise direction illustrated to acounterclockwise direction.

The total pressure of the air exiting from the pipe 20 can be as high as20 inches H 0 and is preferably about 12 inches H O. However, suchpressure can be as low as 4 inches H O when burning finely divided,highly combustible material at a lower heat release rate. Therefore,pressures of air exiting from the pipe 20 are generally within the rangeof4 inches H O to 20 inches H O.

In order to ignite the waste material entering the chamber 22, asuitable gas burner 38 is disposed near the end wall 26 of the chamber22 to fire tangentially into the chamber adjacent the top and at theright side thereof as viewed in FIG. 2. Under conditions wherein amixture of waste material and air is continuously fed into the chamber22, it has been observed that the burner 38 may oridinarily be turnedoff after ignition of the waste material is accomplished. The locationof the burner 38 shown in FIG. 2 is not our invention but is the soleinvention of Robert L. Shields and is also assigned to the assignee ofthis application.

In order to enhance combustion of the waste material and to maintain theenergy of its vortical flow in a predetermined and controlled mannerthrough the entire length of the combustion chamber provision is madefor introducing controlled quantities of high velocity secondary airinto the chamber 22 during the burning process and at spaced regionsthroughout the length of the chamber. To this end a motor-driven fan orblower 40 is disposed to introduce secondary air into an elongatedmanifold 42 suitably supported externally of the chamber and extendingalong an axis substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of thechamber. Also the manifold 42 is located preferably near the bottom andat the right side of the chamber as viewed in FIG. 2. The secondary airis injected substantially tangentially into the chamber through aplurality of substantially equally spaced openings 44 in the side wall28 and at regions located downstream of the region of introduction ofthe mixture of primary air and waste material. In a preferred embodimentthe openings are provided along the entire length of the chamber and arefour in number. Additionally, and as illustrated in FIG. 5, thetangential injection of the secondary air into the chamber is providedby means of conduits 46 extending between the manifold'42 and the bottomportion of the chamber. If desired, means (not shown) may be providedfor preheating the secondary air which is introduced into the chamber 22through the openings 44 by means of the fan 40, manifold 42 and conduits46. With the described arrangement the combustible waste material issubstantially completely burned in suspension in a free vortex with theheavier solid waste fragments and non-combustible material traveling ina vortical path along the inner surface of the layer 34 and migratingtoward the end wall 24. The solid material is forced toward the innersurface of the layer 34 by the tangential component of velocity of thevortex whereas the radially inward component of velocity creates highrelative velocity between the air and burning material which greatlyaccelerates the combustion rate.

Additionally, in the described arrangement the tangential injection ofthe secondary air through the openings 44 and at spaced points along thelength of the chamber, has the beneficial effect of periodicallycontributing to the vortex energy in the chamber. Thus, compensation isprovided for losses in vortex energy or for effectively sustaining thevortex as the waste materia] progresses vortically along the length ofthe chamber.

The periodic or spaced tangential injection of secondary air and theresultant sustenance of the vortex along the entire length of thechamber enhances the efficiency of the waste burning process. Also, itreduces any tendency of combustion material particles, such as fly ash,to drop out of the vortex and settle on the bottom of the chamber which,if permitted to occur, can present substantial difficulties in effectingremoval of such particles from the chamber and can require longer shutdown times for chamber cleaning purposes. Also, it can adversely affectexhaust emissions.

For the purpose of predeterminedly controlling the secondary airgenerally and individually at each of the particular regions ofinjection into the chamber, adjustable control means are providedbetween the blower 40 and the manifold 42 and in each of the conduits 46extending between the manifold 42 and the chamber. More specifically, adamper comprising, for example a butterfly valve 48 is provided in themanifold 42 between the fan and the main portion of the manifold towhich the several conduits 46 are connected. The operation of thebutterfly valve 48 is determined by the operation of a suitableproportional motor 50 adapted for positioning the valve between open andclosed positions in accordance with the degree of energization of themotor. The motor energization is, in turn, determined by a suitablecontrol means generally indicated and designated 52 in FIG. 3. Thecontrol means 52 is operatively connected to a thermocouple or othersuitable thermally responsive device 54 which extends into the chamber22 to sense the temperature therein and provide an appropriate controlsignal. Specifically, the control means 52 is adapted for automaticallyoperating the damper or valve 48 in response to temperature variationswithin the chamber and such that the valve is moved toward its most openposition in response to increases in temperature thereby to increase theflow of secondary air into the system, and toward its closed position inresponse to decreases in temperature thereby to decrease the flow of airinto the system. The control means 52 is adjustably presettable so thatthe temperature range over which the valve automatically opens andcloses is predeterminable by the operator.

The secondary air entering the chamber 22 through the openings 44 isfurther and individually controllable by means of separate andindependently adjustable dampers 56 interposed one in each of theconduits 46. Each damper 56 is adapted for further controlling thesecondary air as it enters the chamber at its respective region alongthe vortical path of the waste material. Thus, the dampers 56 areeffective for enabling the operator to control separately andindividually the energy added to the vortex at each of the regions,permitting more or less energy to be introduced as required to maintaina desired vortical profile and in accordance with experience as toregions where more or less energy is needed to compensate for energylosses in the vortex.

The construction of the dampers 56 is best seen in FIGS. 5-8, and eachsuch damper comprises a housing 58 of generally rectangular crosssection and having suitable flanges for mounting in the respectiveconduits 46. Also, each damper includes an appropriate flapper element60 which is pivotally movable about one end thereof between fully openhorizontal and fully closed vertical positions illustrated in dash linesin FIG. 6. The pivoting of the element 60 is specifically accomplishedby mounting it on a rod 62 suitably rotatably mounted between the sidewalls of the housing 58. Externally of the housing 58, the rod 60 isbent to provide an operating arm or lever 64. Cooperating with theexternal portion of the rod 62 is a locking device 66 which can comprisea collar 68 fitted over the rod and fixed to the housing and a set screw70 threadedly mounted in the collar and carrying a lock nut 72. Thisarrangement permits the operator of the system to presettably posi tionand lock each of the flapper elements 60 in a desired adjusted positionin its respective damper housing for thereby controlling the airentering the chamber at its respective region and for the purposediscussed above. This arrangement is particularly adapted for manualindividual adjustment of the dampers 56. However, it will be seen fromthe foregoing that, if desired, each of the dampers 56 could becontrolled automatically in a manner similar to the butterfly valve andalso that the dampers 56 could be automatically controlled individuallyor in a cooperating coordinated manner in response to variouspredetermined parameters such, for example, as secondary air temperatureor temperature at different regions in the chamber.

In order to discharge gaseous products of combustion from the chamber 22to atmosphere first discharge means is provided including a firstdischarge port or flue 74 having an open end opening in the chamber inthe region of the end wall 24 and substantially concentric with thecentral longitudinal axis of the chamber 22. As best shown in FIG. 3 theflue 74 includes a hollow cylinder or flue pipe 76 of any suitablematerial extending through and suitably mounted in an opening in the endwall 24. In the particular embodiment of the invention shown the endwall 24 includes adjacent layers 78 and 80 formed of suitable materialsuch as fire brick, and an outer annular plate 82 secured together bysuitable fasteners (not shown). The cylinder 76 is releasably attachedto a flue section (not shown) which terminates in an open end opening toatmosphere.

Second discharge means is provided for discharging from the chamber 22during the burning process of non-combustible material. For this purposethe preferred embodiment provides a second discharge port 84 having anopen end 85 opening in the chamber 22 at a region downstream from thepoint of introduction of the waste material in the region adjacent theinner surface of the end wall 24 and adjacent the inner surface of thelayer 34 for receiving and discharging from the chamber non-combustiblematerial which is entrained in the outer region of the vortex. In theillustrated embodiment the port 84 comprises a conduit 86 extendingthrough the side wall 28 substantially tangentially thereto andsubstantially horizontally at the bottom of the chamber as viewed inFIGS. 2 and 3 with its open end 85 opening at the inner surface of thelayer 34. The conduit 86 leads to suitable separator and disposal meansdescribed hereinafter. With the described arrangement the opening 85 isin the path of the non-combustible material which during operation ofthe incinerator is at the outer region of the vortex and which hasmigrated to adjacent the end wall 24, and the action of the vortexcauses such material to enter the opening 85 for discharge from thechamber 22. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 the conduit 86 extendshorizontally adjacent the bottom of the chamber 22. Also, and as seenfrom FIGS. 1 and 2, the discharge opening 85 provided by the conduit 86is located substantially opposite and in substantially the samehorizontal plane as one of the secondary air openings 44. This relativepositioning of the second discharge port 85 and one of the secondary airopenings 44 results in the injected secondary air from that openingbeing effective in assisting in the direction of fly ash and other wastematerials through the second discharge the chamber wall. Also, each suchconduit or scoop can be arranged to cooperate with an oppositelydisposed secondary air inlet to obtain the resultant benefits describedabove.

Most if not all of any non-combustible material will enter the conduit86 as it initially reaches the end wall 24. However, in the event thatsuch material does not enter the conduit 86 when it initially reachesthe end wall 24, this material becomes entrained in the stream of hotgases which normally flows in the direction of the arrows 88 along theinner surface of the end wall24 toward the open end 90 of the flue pipe76 where a low pressure area exists. If the open end of the flue pipe 76were flush with the end wall, a considerable portion of this materialwould enter the flue pipe 76 thus necessitating provision of flue gascleaning apparatus to avoid pollutionof the surrounding atmosphere. In

order to reduce the amount of such solid material which exits from thechamber 22 through the flue pipe 76, the flue pipe 76 is extended intothe chamber 22 so that the inner open end of the flue pipe 76 is spacedaxially inwardly from the end wall 24 as shown in FIG. 3. With thisarrangement the solid material which does not enter the conduit 86 tendsto move from adjacent the end wall 24 along the outside diameter of theflue pipe 76 toward its open inner end. Such movement increases the timeof residence of the material in the chamber 22 thus resulting in morecomplete combustion and a reduction in the amount of this material whichenters the flue pipe as compared to the amount entering the flue pipe ifits open end were flush with the end wall 24.

In order to still further reduce the amount of solid material enteringthe flue pipe 76 a baffle 92 is positioned adjacent the open inner endof the flue pipe 76 to divert outwardly toward the inner layer 34 of thechamber 22 any non-combustible material which moves from adjacent theend wall 24 toward the open end of the flue pipe 76. The arrangement issuch that solid material moving in the direction of the arrows 88engages the baffle 92 and is thereby deflected in the direction of thearrow 94 so that the material so diverted once again becomes entrainedin the vortex for further burning and movement toward the end wall 24for discharge through the conduit 86. As shown in FIG. 3, the baffle 92preferably comprises a plate of any suitable material in the form of aring suitably releasably secured to the pipe 76 adjacent its open end.Additionally, this arrangement disposes the inner end of the flue pipe76 and the baffle 92 adjacent the region of the vortex which can beinfluenced by the secondary air injected through the opening disposedfor cooperation with the discharge port 85. This arrangement togetherwith the adjustability of the secondary air provided by the respectivedamper 56 affords the operator the opportunity to adjust the secondaryair injected at this region in a manner to predeterminedly influence theenergy condition of the vortex in the region of the flue pipe opening.Thus, one can adjust to a degree the pressure conditions in the regionof the baffle 92 for thereby influencing the flow paths indicated by thearrows 88 and 94.

A separator 96 is provided for separating the gases and the solidmaterial discharged through the conduit 86 and for dropping the solidmaterial into a suitable container 98. The separator 96 is preferably acommercially available cyclone or vortex type separator wherein materialdischarged through the conduit 86 is introduced tangentially into theseparator 96 with the result that the solid material drops out the openend of the separator into the container 98. Such solid materialconstitutes ashes and other particulate matter formed in the combustionprocess and also non-combustible material which can be disposed of inany suitable manner. The hot gases separated out by the separator 96 areintroduced into the flue pipe 76. While most of the non-combustiblematerial is delivered to the separator 96, a small portion of suchmaterial tends to settle to the bottom of the chamber 22 This settledmaterial is minimized in the manner described above by the effects ofthe injection of'secondary air at multiple regions spaced along thewaste flow path. However, to the extent any such settlement of materialoccurs in the chamber, it can periodically be removed from the chamberin any suitable manner through the access door 30.

By means of the invention a very efficient incinerator is providedcharacterized by the exhaust of gases to the atmosphere which aresubstantially free of particulate matter so as to minimize air and waterpollution. In addition, non-combustible material is discharged from thecombustion chamber during the burning process by ac tion of the vortexso as to avoid the provision of costly and complex material handlingapparatus for conveying such material away from the combustion chamber.Further, the provision of costly and complex flue gas cleaning apparatusis avoided by the invention which allows operation of the incinerator attemperatures which are higher than that which would be allowable in theevent flue gas cleaning apparatus were utilized. Moreover, theincinerator effects substantially complete combustion of combustiblewaste material resulting in an extremely high percentage reduction inthe original volume of waste material.

A typical design of the incinerator of the present invention includes acombustion chamber having an internal length of 8 feet and an innerdiameter D of 4% feet. The flue pipe 76 has an inner diameter of 2 feetand extends into the chamber a distance of about 16 inches from theinner surface of the end wall 24. The baffle plate 92 has a diameter ofapproximately 35 inches. Also; the conduit 86 has an inner diameter of 4inches. An incinerator of such design presently appears capable ofdisposing of solid waste having up to 20 percent moisture content andnormally percent ash content with'a heat value of 5,000 BTU per pound ata rate of 3,000 pounds per hour to effect close to 98 percentdestruction of combustible material. It presently appears that such anincinerator design emits particulate matter to the atmosphere of notmore than 0.2 grains per standard dry cubic foot of flue gas. Theforgoing results seem to be obtainable with chamber tempera'turesbetween 1,200F and 2,200F.

Although the invention has been described with reference to certainspecific embodiments thereof, numerous modifications are possible and itis desired to cover all modifications falling within the spirit andscope of the invention.

What we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of theUnited States is:

1. An incinerator for burning waste material com prising in combination;

a. a combustion chamber having spaced end walls and a side wall with itscentral longitudinal axis extending between said end walls, said chamberbeing disposed such that its central axis extends substantiallyhorizontally,

b. means for introducing waste material and primary air into saidchamber for establishing a vortical movement of said waste material andprimary air toward one of said end walls,

c. means for igniting said waste material during its vortical movement,

d. a discharge flue port having an open end opening in said chamber nearsaid one endwall and substantially concentric with said centrallongitudinal axis,

e. means for introducing secondary air directly into said combustionchamber substantially tangentially to said side wall at a plurality ofregions which are spaced substantially throughout the entire length ofsaid combustion chamber side wall and which are aligned along an axissubstantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of said chamber, saidregions being located adjacent the bottom of said combustion chamberside wall at one side thereof such that secondary air is directly introduced in directions to maintain the vortical movement of wastematerial, and f. control means for independently controlling theintroduction of secondary air into said chamber at each of saidplurality of regions. 2. An incinerator as defined in claim 1 includinga second discharge port having an open end opening in said chamberadjacent the inner surface of said side wall for discharging from saidchamber during the burning process non-combustible material which isentrained in the outer region of the vortex.

3. An incinerator as defined in claim 2 wherein said second dischargeport extends through said side wall substantially tangentially theretowith its open end located adjacent the bottom of said chamber at theother side thereof substantially opposite one of the regions ofintroduction of said secondary air.

4. An incinerator as defined in claim 1 wherein the open end of saiddischarge flue port is spaced axially of said one end wall.

5. An incinerator as defined in claim 4 including a baffle adjacent theopen end of said discharge flue port to divert outwardly toward saidside wall solid noncombustible material which moves from adjacent saidone end wall toward the open end of said discharge flue port.

6. An incinerator as defined in claim 5 including a second dischargeport having an open end opening in said chamber adjacent the innersurface of said side wall for discharging from said chamber during theburning process non-combustible material which is entrained in the outerregion of the vortex.

7. An incinerator as defined in claim 6 wherein said second dischargeport extends through said side wall substantially tangentially theretowith its open end located adjacent the bottom of said chamber at theother side thereof substantially opposite one of the regions ofintroduction of said secondary air.

8. An incinerator for burning waste material comprising in combination;

a. a combustion chamber having spaced end walls and a side wall with itscentral longitudinal axis extending between said end walls, said chamberbeing disposed such that its central axis extends substantiallyhorizontally,

b. means for introducing a mixture of waste material and primary airunder pressure into said chamber tangentially to said side wall forestablishing a vortical movement of said waste material toward one ofsaid end walls,

0. means for igniting said waste material during its vortical movement,

means for introducing secondary air into said chamber substantiallytangentially to said side wall at a pluralityof spaced regions which arealigned along an axis substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis ofsaid chamber and which are located adjacent the bottom of said chamberat one side thereof, said secondary air being introduced into saidchamber in directions to maintain the vortical movement of wastematerial,

e. a first discharge flue port having an open end opening in saidchamber near said one end wall and substantially concentric with saidcentral axis,

f. a second discharge port having an open end opening'in said chamberadjacent the inner surface of said side wall for discharging from saidchamber during the burning process non-combustible material which isentrained in the outer region of the vortex, and

g. the open end of said second discharge port and one of the regions ofintroduction of said secondary air being located relative to each othersuch that they both are intersected by a plane which is substantiallyperpendicular to the longitudinal axis of said chamber.

9. An incinerator as defined in claim 8 wherein said means forintroducing secondary air includes control means for automaticallyadjusting the flow of secondary air in response to variations oftemperature within said chamber such that the flow of secondary air isincreased in response to an increase in temperature, and is decreased inresponse to a decrease in temperature.

10. An incinerator as defined in claim 8 wherein the open end of saidfirst discharge flue port is spaced axially of said one end wall.

11. An incinerator as defined in claim 10 including a baffle'adjacentthe open end of said first discharge flue port to divert outwardlytoward said side wall solid noncombustible material which moves fromadjacent said one end wall toward the open end of said discharge flueport.

12. An incinerator as defined in claim 9 wherein the open end of saidfirst discharge flue port is spaced axially of said one end wall.

13. An incinerator as defined in claim 12 including a baffle adjacentthe open end of said first discharge flue port to divert outwardlytoward said side wall solid noncombustible material which moves fromadjacent said one end wall toward the open end of said first dischargeflue port.

14. An incinerator for burning waste material comprising in combination;

a. a combustion chamber having spaced end walls and a side wall with itscentral longitudinal axis extending between said end walls, said chamberbeing disposed such that its central axis extends substantiallyhorizontally,

. means for introducing waste material and primary air to said chamberfor establishing a vorticalmovement of said waste material toward one ofsaid end walls,

c. means for igniting said waste material during its vortical movement,I

d. a discharge flue port having an open end opening in said chamber nearsaid one end wall and substantially concentric with said centrallongitudinal axis,

e. the side wall of said chamber having a plurality of spaced firstopenings extending tangentially therethrough which are aligned along anaxis substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of said chamber andwhich are located adjacent the bottom of said chamber at one sidethereof,

f. means for introducing secondary air into said chamber through each ofsaid first openings in directions to maintain the vortical movement ofwaste material, said means for introducing including a manifoldsupported externally of said chamber to extend along an axissubstantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of said chamber, and ablower connected to said manifold to supply secondary air thereto, g.first control means for independently adjustably controlling the flow ofsecondary air supplied from said manifold to each of said firstopenings, and

second control means for adjustably controlling the flow of secondaryair supplied from said blower to said manifold.

15. An incinerator as defined in claim 14 wherein said first controlmeans includes a plurality of first dampers each disposed for manualadjustment for effectively varying the size of a separate one of saidfirst openings.

16. An incinerator as defined in claim 14 wherein said second controlmeans includes a damper movable between open and closed positions, andmeans for automatically moving said second damper in response tovariations of temperature within said chamber such that said seconddamper is moved toward open position in response to an increased intemperature to increase the flow of secondary air, and is moved towardclosed position in response to a decrease in temperature to decrease theflow of secondary air.

17. An incinerator as defined in claim 14 including a second dischargeport having an open end opening in said chamber adjacent the innersurface of said side wall for discharging from said chamber during theburning process non-combustible material which is entrained in the outerregion of the vortex.

18. An incinerator as defined in claim 17 wherein said second dischargeport extends through said side wall substantially tangentially theretowith its open end located adjacent the bottom of said chamber at theother side thereof substantially opposite one of said first openings.

19. An incinerator as defined in claim 14 wherein the open end of saiddischarge flue port is spaced axially of said one end wall.

20. An incinerator as defined in claim 19 including a baffle adjacentthe open end of said discharge flue port to divert outwardly toward saidside wall solid noncombustible material which moves from adjacent saidone end wall toward the open end of said discharge flue port. 7

21. An incinerator as defined in claim 20 including a second dischargeport having an open end opening in said chamber adjacent the innersurface of said side wall for discharging from said chamber during theburning process non-combustible material which is entrained in the outerregion of the vortex.

22. An incinerator as defined in claim 21 wherein said second dischargeport extends through said side wall substantially tangentially theretowith its open end located adjacent the bottom of said chamber at theother side thereof substantially opposite one of said first openings.

23. An incinerator for burning waste material comprising in combination;

a. size reducing means for receiving waste material and reducing it insize.

b. blower means for drawing the size reduced material from the sizereducing means and entraining it in a primary air stream,

0. a generally cylindrical combustion chamber having spaced end wallsand an annular side wall with its central longitudinal axis extendingbetween said end walls, said chamber being disposed such that itscentral axis extends substantially horizontally,

. a conduit extending between said blower means and said chamber fordelivering the primary air stream and the entrained size reducedmaterial to said chamber and introducing it into said chambertangentially to said side wall for establishing a vortical movement ofsaid waste material toward one of said end walls,

e. means for igniting said waste material during its vortical movement,

f. a discharge flue port having an open end opening in said chamber nearsaid one end wall and substantially concentric with said centrallongitudinal axis,

g. the side wall of said chamber having a plurality of spaced firstopenings extending tangentially therethrough which are aligned along anaxis substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of said chamber andwhich are located adjacent the botsecondar air thereto I 1. first conrol means for independently ad ustably controlling secondary airsupplied from said manifold to each of said first openings,

j. second control means for adjustably controlling secondary airsupplied from said blower to said manifold,

k. said first control means including a plurality of first dampers eachadapted for manual adjustment for effectively varying the size of aseparate one of said openings, and

I. said second control means including a second damper movable betweenopen and closed positions, and means for automatically moving saidsecond damper in response to variations of temperature within saidchamber such that said second damper is moved toward open position inresponse to an increase in temperature to increase the flow of secondaryair, and is moved toward closed position in response to a decrease intemperature to decrease the flow of secondary air.

24. An incinerator as defined in claim 23 including a second dischargeport having an open end opening in said chamber adjacent the innersurface of said side wall for discharging from said chamber during theburning process non-combustible material which is entrained in the outerregion of the vortex.

25. An incinerator as defined in claim 24 wherein said second dischargeport extends through said side wall substantially tangentially theretowith its open end located adjacent the bottom of said chamber at theother side thereof substantially opposite one of said first openings.

5 26. An incinerator as defined in claim 23 wherein the open end of saiddischarge flue port is spaced axially of said one end wall.

27. An incinerator as defined in claim 26 including a baffle adjacentthe open end of said discharge flue port to divert outwardly toward saidside wall solid noncombustible material which moves: from adjacent saidone end wall the open end of said discharge flue port.

28. An incinerator as defined in claim 23 wherein said plurality offirst openings comprises four openings spaced equally substantiallythroughout the entire length of said chamber.

1. An incinerator for burning waste material comprising in combination;a. a combustion chamber having spaced end walls and a side wall with itscentral longitudinal axis extending between said end walls, said chamberbeing disposed such that its central axis extends substantiallyhorizontally, b. means for introducing waste material and primary airinto said chamber for establishing a vortical movement of said wastematerial and primary air toward one of said end walls, c. means forigniting said waste material during its vortical movement, d. adischarge flue port having an open end opening in said chamber near saidone end wall and substantially concentric with said central longitudinalaxis, e. means for introducing secondary air directly into saidcombustion chamber substantially tangentially to said side wall at aplurality of regions which are spaced substantially throughout theentire length of said combustion chamber side wall and which are alignedalong an axis substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of saidchamber, said regions being located adjacent the bottom of saidcombustion chamber side wall at one side thereof such that secondary airis directly introduced in directions to maintain the vortical movementof waste material, and f. control means for independently controllingthe introduction of secondary air into said chamber at each of saidplurality of regions.
 2. An incinerator as defined in claim 1 includinga second discharge port having an open end opening in said chamberadjacent the inner surface of said side wall for discharging from saidchamber during the burning process non-combustible material which isentrained in the outer region of the vortex.
 3. An incinerator asdefined in claim 2 wherein said second discharge port extends throughsaid side wall substantially tangentially thereto with its open endlocated adjacent the bottom of said chamber at the other side thereofsubstantially opposite one of the regions of introduction of saidsecondary air.
 4. An incinerator as defined in claim 1 wherein the openend of said discharge flue port is spaced axially of said one end wall.5. An incinerator as defined in claim 4 including a baffle adjacent theopen end of said discharge flue port to divert outwardly toward saidside wall solid non-combustible material which moves from adjacent saidone end wall toward the open end of said discharge flue port.
 6. Anincinerator as defined in claim 5 including a second discharge porthaving an open end opening in said chamber adjacent the inner surface ofsaid side wall for discharging from said chamber during the burningprocess non-combustible material which is entrained in the outer regionof the vortex.
 7. An incinerator as defined in claim 6 wherein saidsecond discharge port extends through said side wall substantiallytangentially thereto with its open end located adjacent the bottom ofsaid chamber at the other side thereof substantially opposite one of theregions of introduction of said secondary air.
 8. An incinerator forburning waste material comprising in combination; a. a combustionchamber having spaced end walls and a side wall with its centrallongitudinal axis extending between said end walls, said chamber beingdisposed such that its central axis extends substantially hOrizontally,b. means for introducing a mixture of waste material and primary airunder pressure into said chamber tangentially to said side wall forestablishing a vortical movement of said waste material toward one ofsaid end walls, c. means for igniting said waste material during itsvortical movement, d. means for introducing secondary air into saidchamber substantially tangentially to said side wall at a plurality ofspaced regions which are aligned along an axis substantially parallel tothe longitudinal axis of said chamber and which are located adjacent thebottom of said chamber at one side thereof, said secondary air beingintroduced into said chamber in directions to maintain the vorticalmovement of waste material, e. a first discharge flue port having anopen end opening in said chamber near said one end wall andsubstantially concentric with said central axis, f. a second dischargeport having an open end opening in said chamber adjacent the innersurface of said side wall for discharging from said chamber during theburning process non-combustible material which is entrained in the outerregion of the vortex, and g. the open end of said second discharge portand one of the regions of introduction of said secondary air beinglocated relative to each other such that they both are intersected by aplane which is substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis ofsaid chamber.
 9. An incinerator as defined in claim 8 wherein said meansfor introducing secondary air includes control means for automaticallyadjusting the flow of secondary air in response to variations oftemperature within said chamber such that the flow of secondary air isincreased in response to an increase in temperature, and is decreased inresponse to a decrease in temperature.
 10. An incinerator as defined inclaim 8 wherein the open end of said first discharge flue port is spacedaxially of said one end wall.
 11. An incinerator as defined in claim 10including a baffle adjacent the open end of said first discharge flueport to divert outwardly toward said side wall solid non-combustiblematerial which moves from adjacent said one end wall toward the open endof said discharge flue port.
 12. An incinerator as defined in claim 9wherein the open end of said first discharge flue port is spaced axiallyof said one end wall.
 13. An incinerator as defined in claim 12including a baffle adjacent the open end of said first discharge flueport to divert outwardly toward said side wall solid non-combustiblematerial which moves from adjacent said one end wall toward the open endof said first discharge flue port.
 14. An incinerator for burning wastematerial comprising in combination; a. a combustion chamber havingspaced end walls and a side wall with its central longitudinal axisextending between said end walls, said chamber being disposed such thatits central axis extends substantially horizontally, b. means forintroducing waste material and primary air to said chamber forestablishing a vortical movement of said waste material toward one ofsaid end walls, c. means for igniting said waste material during itsvortical movement, d. a discharge flue port having an open end openingin said chamber near said one end wall and substantially concentric withsaid central longitudinal axis, e. the side wall of said chamber havinga plurality of spaced first openings extending tangentially therethroughwhich are aligned along an axis substantially parallel to thelongitudinal axis of said chamber and which are located adjacent thebottom of said chamber at one side thereof, f. means for introducingsecondary air into said chamber through each of said first openings indirections to maintain the vortical movement of waste material, saidmeans for introducing including a manifold supported externally of saidchamber to extend along an axis substantially parallel to thelongitudinal axis of said chamber, and a blower connected to saIdmanifold to supply secondary air thereto, g. first control means forindependently adjustably controlling the flow of secondary air suppliedfrom said manifold to each of said first openings, and h. second controlmeans for adjustably controlling the flow of secondary air supplied fromsaid blower to said manifold.
 15. An incinerator as defined in claim 14wherein said first control means includes a plurality of first damperseach disposed for manual adjustment for effectively varying the size ofa separate one of said first openings.
 16. An incinerator as defined inclaim 14 wherein said second control means includes a damper movablebetween open and closed positions, and means for automatically movingsaid second damper in response to variations of temperature within saidchamber such that said second damper is moved toward open position inresponse to an increased in temperature to increase the flow ofsecondary air, and is moved toward closed position in response to adecrease in temperature to decrease the flow of secondary air.
 17. Anincinerator as defined in claim 14 including a second discharge porthaving an open end opening in said chamber adjacent the inner surface ofsaid side wall for discharging from said chamber during the burningprocess non-combustible material which is entrained in the outer regionof the vortex.
 18. An incinerator as defined in claim 17 wherein saidsecond discharge port extends through said side wall substantiallytangentially thereto with its open end located adjacent the bottom ofsaid chamber at the other side thereof substantially opposite one ofsaid first openings.
 19. An incinerator as defined in claim 14 whereinthe open end of said discharge flue port is spaced axially of said oneend wall.
 20. An incinerator as defined in claim 19 including a baffleadjacent the open end of said discharge flue port to divert outwardlytoward said side wall solid non-combustible material which moves fromadjacent said one end wall toward the open end of said discharge flueport.
 21. An incinerator as defined in claim 20 including a seconddischarge port having an open end opening in said chamber adjacent theinner surface of said side wall for discharging from said chamber duringthe burning process non-combustible material which is entrained in theouter region of the vortex.
 22. An incinerator as defined in claim 21wherein said second discharge port extends through said side wallsubstantially tangentially thereto with its open end located adjacentthe bottom of said chamber at the other side thereof substantiallyopposite one of said first openings.
 23. An incinerator for burningwaste material comprising in combination; a. size reducing means forreceiving waste material and reducing it in size. b. blower means fordrawing the size reduced material from the size reducing means andentraining it in a primary air stream, c. a generally cylindricalcombustion chamber having spaced end walls and an annular side wall withits central longitudinal axis extending between said end walls, saidchamber being disposed such that its central axis extends substantiallyhorizontally, d. a conduit extending between said blower means and saidchamber for delivering the primary air stream and the entrained sizereduced material to said chamber and introducing it into said chambertangentially to said side wall for establishing a vortical movement ofsaid waste material toward one of said end walls, e. means for ignitingsaid waste material during its vortical movement, f. a discharge flueport having an open end opening in said chamber near said one end walland substantially concentric with said central longitudinal axis, g. theside wall of said chamber having a plurality of spaced first openingsextending tangentially therethrough which are aligned along an axissubstantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of said chamber andwhich are located adjacent the bottom of said chamber at one sidethereof, h. means for introducing secondary air into said chamberthrough each of said first openings in directions to maintain thevortical movement of waste material, said means for introducingincluding a manifold supported externally of said chamber to extendalong an axis substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of saidchamber, and a blower connected to said manifold to supply secondary airthereto, i. first control means for independently adjustably controllingsecondary air supplied from said manifold to each of said firstopenings, j. second control means for adjustably controlling secondaryair supplied from said blower to said manifold, k. said first controlmeans including a plurality of first dampers each adapted for manualadjustment for effectively varying the size of a separate one of saidopenings, and l. said second control means including a second dampermovable between open and closed positions, and means for automaticallymoving said second damper in response to variations of temperaturewithin said chamber such that said second damper is moved toward openposition in response to an increase in temperature to increase the flowof secondary air, and is moved toward closed position in response to adecrease in temperature to decrease the flow of secondary air.
 24. Anincinerator as defined in claim 23 including a second discharge porthaving an open end opening in said chamber adjacent the inner surface ofsaid side wall for discharging from said chamber during the burningprocess non-combustible material which is entrained in the outer regionof the vortex.
 25. An incinerator as defined in claim 24 wherein saidsecond discharge port extends through said side wall substantiallytangentially thereto with its open end located adjacent the bottom ofsaid chamber at the other side thereof substantially opposite one ofsaid first openings.
 26. An incinerator as defined in claim 23 whereinthe open end of said discharge flue port is spaced axially of said oneend wall.
 27. An incinerator as defined in claim 26 including a baffleadjacent the open end of said discharge flue port to divert outwardlytoward said side wall solid non-combustible material which moves fromadjacent said one end wall the open end of said discharge flue port. 28.An incinerator as defined in claim 23 wherein said plurality of firstopenings comprises four openings spaced equally substantially throughoutthe entire length of said chamber.